


Via the Tourists

by presidentbees



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, OC, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:31:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5228801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/presidentbees/pseuds/presidentbees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kade and Beck are two nerds who happen to be falling in love. Kade is trying to recover from a longterm, unhealthy relationship, and Beck is trying to make a life for himself in the city. </p>
<p>Written for viatorist on tumblr. Congratulations on winning the auideas giveaway. I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope that all of the wait paid off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Phone Call

Kade pinned the phone against his shoulder while he rummaged through the kitchen drawer for a clean fork. In his ear, Kade's younger brother, Leo, continued to ramble. 

“Like, I can’t believe that he thought that because I’m a musician, that automatically makes me attracted to guys. It’s totally possible to play the guitar and not be gay,” said Leo. “Nothing against you, but I’m so sick of people assuming that they know what I like, just based on what I look like.” 

“Maybe you should wear a shirt that says ‘I am a heterosexual’ in big letters, that would get people to stop asking.” Kade had heard this conversation before. At least once a week, somebody assumed that Leo was gay – or trans, or bi, or whatever the person felt like assuming – and he would come to Kade fuming about the indignity of it all. “I mean how could I ever know what it feels like for somebody to assume that they know my sexuality?” 

“True. Give me a second while I turn on my laptop. I’ve got a skype date with Melissa in like, ten minutes.” 

Clean fork in hand, Kade navigated around the pile of washcloths on the kitchen floor, and made his way to the couch, where he sat down and turned on the television idly. Though the TV was nice, Kade resented what it represented. Originally a gift from his ex-boyfriend, the set was a reminder that Kade’s judgment of a person’s moral character was often subpar when put to use. 

For example, in Kade’s eyes, how could a person be that bad if they had just bought him a pretty darn nice television set? Turns out, the person could still be a total monster, just one that was financially loaded and didn’t have to think twice about giving their boytoy some nice assets to keep him “complacent.”

Out of all the shiny and tempting things that Kade had been given over the years, the television set was the only thing that he hadn’t pawned off, and only because it had a crack in the right corner from where Kade had thrown his cell phone at it. He had tried to sell it on Craigslist, but no dice. Nobody wanted broken things, no matter how pretty they were. 

Kade dug into his bowl of rice and Ruddy’s Flamin’ Steak Rubb– a blend of Cajun spices with chili, black pepper, and salt – as Leo typed on his keyboard, the sound audible even through the phone. 

“So what are you doing tonight? Netflix and chill with Brendon?” asked Leo. 

“Yeah, no. We’re kind of taking a break.” 

“Break as in ‘too embarrassed to look at his face right now’ or break as in break.” 

Kade sighed. “Break as in I’m going to be having a lot of future Netflix and chill nights to myself.” 

“Yikes. Sucks to hear that.” On Leo’s end of the line, Kade could hear Skype booting up and the sound of several notifications coming through. Leo really couldn’t sympathize with Kade. He and Melissa had been together for almost five years and Kade was pretty damn sure that he was going to be getting a wedding letter in the mail any week. 

“I mean, whatever. I felt like he was kind of an asshole anyway,” Kade took a bite of spiced rice, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. Brendon was a Rebound, Kade’s attempt to help soothe the part of him that was wanting to get back into the flow of dating, but not wanting to commit. 

Was it shitty of him to use Brendon like that? Yep. Was Kade really in the mood to feel regretful? Nope. 

“Just last week you were telling me about” – Leo put on a breathy voice – “his dreamy eyes, and how he had the nicest stomach for lying on and how you couldn’t get enough of his rich, Spanish accent.” Leo laughed. “I mean I’m not here to judge you, but don’t you think that you should be taking a break? It’s not healthy to be back in the batting cage so quick, if you get my drift.”

Kade’s mouth turned down at the corners. Who was Leo to judge what he did? He didn’t know anything about what he had been through. “Okay. That’s nice,” he quipped sharply. “I’m going to binge House of Cards so you go have fun.”

“Bro, come on. I’m just trying to be nice with you,” Leo started, but Kade had already pushed the end button on his cellphone. 

Kade spent the rest of the night curled up on the seat of his cracking leather couch and watching The Breakfast Club as he ate ice-cream out of the pint. Going too fast. Pft. What did Leo know? Kade was happy with his life, as lonely as it currently was, and he planned to keep it that way.


	2. When you Throw an Extrovert a Party...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Beck and Kade have met, but aren't really dating yet. Very short.

“Shame that it had to rain on your birthday,” Beck said, sipping at his drink – a noxious shade of violet with effervescing bubbles. Kade’s apartment was filled to the brim with people jostling each other and talking loudly. A party that had was meant to be held in the park had been downsized to a 600 square foot room. 

Kade wrinkled his brow. “What did you say?” he yelled. “I can’t hear you!”

“I said that it’s a shame that—you know what, never mind,” Beck pulled out his phone and typed with one hand. “Too bad that it’s raining.” 

“Oh,” Kade shrugged. “I really don’t care.” 

From the other side of the room, a person shrieked as they pulled a bottle of champagne out of their purple sequined purse – which was the exact same shade as their wig – and leveraged the top off in an expert motion. Kade winced as the cork flew over the crowd, and landed somewhere near the kitchen. 

“I take it back, I do care.”


	3. Unfinished -- Pumpkin Patch Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kade and Beck decide that it would be cute to go buy Halloween pumpkins together. Turns out that it's too cold and Beck is a grump. Unfinished.

Beck shivered and dug his hands deeper into his pockets. Since arriving at the pumpkin patch, the sky had gone from a charming gray, to an ominous looking slate color in the matter of hours. In Beck’s opinion, the whole trip should have only taken them a half-hour at the most, but no, Kade’s mind was set on finding the perfect Halloween pumpkin. 

Instead of gallivanting in the cold, wet mud Beck had opted for taking a seat on one of the hay bales that was near the fire pit – whoever’s ingenious idea that was -- and waiting for his not-boyfriend to get back. Surely nothing bad could happen if he was sitting down and minding his own business, right?: wrong. 

The kid rubbed her bare hands to get warm. Wearing a camo jacket, the little girl had wandered up to Beck, stated that her name was Kenneth and had lost her parents, and then sat down next to him. It had been about twenty minutes, and no employees had rushed past looking for a lost child. Kenneth seemed totally unperturbed. 

“It’s really cold, huh?” said Beck, trying to make conversation. 

Kenneth shrugged. “The freezing point of water is forty degrees.” 

Okay? That didn’t really answer his question but like, kids were supposed weird weren’t they? Was it natural for them to rattle off the degree that water froze? “Did you learn that in school?”

“NeeNee taught it to me.”

“Oh, is that your grandma?” 

Kenneth made a shrugging motion again. “Sort of.” 

Well that gave Beck nothing to go off of. He was awkward talking to people his age, but kids? Nope. Beck had very little experience with dealing with children.


	4. Or Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time that Kade and Beck say "I love you." Indulgent fluff that I wish I had more time to expand upon.

There was a reason why Kade surrounded himself in light; it wasn’t because he liked the glamour and the high that came with being in the spotlight, but because he was paralyzing afraid of the dark – both metaphorically and literally. 

Taking care to control his breathing, Kade focused on the light that he could see coming from the candles and flashlights in other apartments. He could still hear the faraway sound of fire engines, but the hum of human traffic had been replaced with the quiet hush that followed a city blackout. Acoustic music floated by on a stiff, hot breeze that was laced with smells of barbequing food. Kade let it wrap around him and comfort him. 

“I got a hold of Leo and Jude and told them that we were okay,” said Beck as came outside. He sat a can of warm soda in front of Kade before setting onto the bench. “Mrs. Mattu says that your building should have power back by tomorrow morning.” 

“Are you leaving tonight?” 

Beck popped the tab on his soda. “Walking home during a blackout? No way -- I’m not about to get robbed…And I’m not going to leave you here in the dark.” 

“But don’t you have that interview with the play director tomorrow morning?” Kade looked up, trying to read Beck’s emotions in the gloom. “Beck, that’s a really big deal.” 

“I can reschedule – don’t worry about it.” 

The two of them sat in silence. Beck sipping at his flat Pepsi and trying to read "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by candlelight; Kade looking at the sky until the pinpricks of light started to blend together. For the first time since he was small, Kade could see the stars. 

“This is nice,” Kade said, breaking the silence. “It’s not often that you can see the stars in the city.” 

“I think I love you.” Beck said, not looking up from his reading. 

The confession came so fast and hurriedly, Kade almost positive that he didn’t hear it right. His world seemed to skip, stall, then grind to a halt. Kade was suddenly very, very aware of how loud his heart was. 

“What?” Kade said stupidly. 

“I said, I think that I love you…Or something.”


	5. Emergency Breaks Engaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final installment. Either these two nerds are living together, or they just like to spend a lot of time at each other's places. I liked writing this and I'm happy with how it tied everything together at the end.

"Ow. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Dang it," Kade dropped the knife and immediately wrapped his finger in a nearby dishrag -- no time to check to see if it was dirty. "Beck! I need a Band-Aid!" 

There was a muffled shout of "f*ck!" and some scrambling before Beck came sliding into the kitchen, hair wild and clothes rumpled. He hadn’t changed into his day clothes yet, still wearing his pajamas after writing all night long. “What’s wrong? I heard yelling.” 

“I cut my finger on a knife!” 

Beck threw his hands up in exasperation. “What were you doing? Good Lord, I don’t know if I can leave you or Leo alone in the same room for more than five minutes without one of you needing help with the television or spilling the milk or getting into some kind of mess. I’m not your mom at the end of the day—“ 

“Blood!” Kade waved his hand for emphasis. “Bandages! Not the time!” 

“Oh my gosh. Put your hand under the faucet and I’ll find you something. Where’s Leo and Melissa?” 

“They left over like, three hours ago for their married couple counseling thingamajig,” Kade said, turning on the sink and letting the water rush over the cut. He sucked in a pained breath. Ah, shit, yeah. That might leave a mark. 

“Did they leave early? I didn’t think that they were leaving until after lunch.” 

“It’s four in the afternoon.” 

“Shit. Already?” Beck came out of the bathroom with the first aid kit that he had insisted on buying when he first moved in. 

Kade leaned against the counter and tried to not focus on the pain. The cold water was helping numb the skin, but was burning like a bitch. “Remember to not use Neosporin,” he said tightly. “There was a major recall on it because people were having allergic reactions to it. Uh oh. I’m feeling nauseous.” He looked away from the sink. 

“Shush, let me see what you did.” Beck turned off the water and fretted over Kade’s hand, blotting it with a paper towel. “Oh, psh, it’s not that deep.” 

“It’s not?” Kade tried to focus on breathing through his nose. 

“Believe me, I’ve gotten papercuts worse than this. Look, it’s already stopped bleeding.” 

Kade looked, but not at the cut. Beck was holding his hand tenderly, the kitchen window throwing sunlight behind his head. Yellow beams of light caught the flyaways in his hair, making a halo of disheveled curls. Beck looked sleep deprived, haggard, and worn thin from long hours poured over his manuscripts, but Kade thought that it was the most beautiful that Beck had ever looked. 

Beck snickered and broke the spell, placing a Band-Aid around Kade’s finger. 

“I think I’m seriously hurt. I’ve been hit by a taxi before, you know. Did I ever tell you that story? I feel like I did. That took a lot more than a Band-Aid and I’ve still got the scars to prove it.” 

Beck gave Kade’s bandaged finger a quick kiss and one more pat before getting up. “Alright, I’m back to writing. Do I need call for takeout, or are we going to eat your bloody vegetables, or what?” Beck looked at the clock. “How is it already four? I didn’t sign up for this play writer’s lifestyle.” 

“Did you just kiss my booboo?” 

“Booboo?”

Kade resisted the urge to blush. “My Band-Aid.”

“I mean, yeah. I guess? Isn’t that what everybody does?” 

“Dude, only my mom has ever done that, and she stopped when I learned how to put the Band-Aids on myself.”

“Don’t call me dude, it’s weird, like we’re jocks or something going all ‘no homo’ in the locker room.”

“You can kiss my Band-Aids, but only if you say ‘no homo’ from now on.”  
Beck cracked up. He must have been really tired. “You’re not allowed to be this adorable when I’m supposed to be writing. C’mere. Grab like a box of cereal bars or something, you’re going to keep me company while I write.” 

“That doesn’t sound like an effective plan.”

“It’s not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this project. It wasn't as long as I liked, but in the end, I'm proud of what I've written. It was a fun task to take on and I can't wait to work on more in the future. 
> 
> My tumblr is at admin chamomile, my writing tag is #melanie writes. Thank you!


End file.
